Memory Lane aka, The Atacama Assignment
by x.BadWolfRose.x
Summary: An alternative to the Opal Deception: When mudmen scientist begin to uncover fairy shuttles in the middle of a Desert in Chile, its up to the LEP to protect the people from discovery. But with Artemis without his memories, it's up to Holly to fix him.
1. Captian Holly Short

**Ok, so this story is set just after Artemis has had the mind wipe. It's sort of an alternative to the opal deception. Of course it's nowhere NEAR as good as E. Colfers own work, but I enjoy writing it anyway. So... here goes  
**

** Disclaimer - i own nothing here. not the characters or anything... Enjoy!**

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Holly let out a mournful sigh as she felt the cool air, brush past her skin. She dipped her slender fingers in the gentle waves of the English Channel and felt the chill spread through her, causing tiny blue sparks to flit from her hand. She had always known that this was eventually going to happen. There was really no other alternative.

Artemis Fowl had been a threat to the people for too long. It wasn't that his motives were dangerous to the people. On the contrary he had helped the fairy race evade discovery many times. But the very fact that he knew of their existence kept placing them in jeopardy. Holly knew Artemis Fowl had changed.

He had come so far from the fairy kidnapping days and she couldn't bear to think of the mind wipe returning him to his old self, his cruel self. He and Holly had developed a relationship of sorts and, although she would rather eat dwarf excretions than admit it, she had let herself become quite emotionally attached to the boy.

She had become so accustomed to the name Fowl that the thought of it no longer factoring in her everyday LEP life made her visibly droop. Of course he annoyed her. But the constant bickering and the casually tossed insults made their relationship what it was.

Holly shut off her wings and sat down on the cliffs of Dover, dangling her legs over the edge. Her magic was running low, but her thoughts were far from retaining her shield.

She wondered what effect the mind wipe would have on her mudboy friend. She knew that Mulch, Root, Foaly and herself would no longer feature in his thoughts in any way. He would no longer spar with the notorious dwarf, or speak 'technical talk' with the centaur. He would no longer glower at the orders thrown at him by the commander. And he would no longer remember Captain Holly Short.

The small elf gazed into the sunrise, the sky an explosion of colour. She fiercely wiped a tear from her cheek, telling herself it was spray from the ocean below. Her thoughts wandered to the future of the mudboy. Would he become the cruel teenager he was before? Artemis had learned so much from his time with _the people_ that it made Holly's heart ache to think that the last two years could go to waste.

Artemis would return to the boy he was before, carry on with his human crimes, affecting other human's lives. Although it was no longer anything to do with the people, Holly felt largely responsible for the change in Artemis and would hate to think that they had unleashed the pre-fairy version of the boy back on an unsuspecting earth.

She shook her head impatiently. Maybe it wouldn't affect him that way. Maybe the positive changes would remain even when his fairy memories had faded. Maybe all the influence would have changed his heart rather than his head and that part of him would have escaped the clutches of the fairy mind wipe. Maybe he had left some reminder of the people behind and it was only a matter of time before all the memories came flooding back. Maybe.

But Holly had been one of the fairies to check Fowl Manor herself and Foaly had done his job well. There was nothing left that could trigger residual memories. No tapes, no discs. Nothing.

And Butler. Holly Short had grown very fond of the old bodyguard. He'd had a rough time of it, all on behalf of her people. Protecting her people.

Holly suddenly became angry. She was being stupid. She was a professional and these mudmen should be far from her thoughts by now. She would return to work. She still had Foaly and Root. She would concentrate on her career.

Looking down at her hands she thought about how far she'd come in the last few months. She was still as reckless and impulsive as ever but she liked to think she was a better captain, a better person, and mostly it was because of Artemis.

Artemis Fowl.

She would have to learn to forget. She charged up her wings and sped back below ground. Back to haven and her old life, her mudman free life.

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**wow, first chapter done. Hope you liked :) its short i know, i havnt got on to writing long chapters yet. So if you liked, please review. If you can think of improvements, would love to hear from you. cheers.  
**


	2. Fowl Manor

** hello again. chpt 2 now up. if i'm honest, i'm not sure where this is going... but i like writing it. Just to let you all know, commander Root is NOT going to die in this version. :) i like him too much. So here we go... hope you like it and please review :)**

**disclaimer - i own nothing except the plot. **

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Artemis grinned craftily. He had successfully transferred thousands of Chinese yen from six different bank accounts into his own. He always got a thrill from cheating people and coming out on top. Of course his parents would never approve. Strange, he thought, as he vaguely remembered his father being a notorious criminal, once.

"His weakness is not mine" The boy muttered absentmindedly. He began to tire of these trivial victories. He was a boy genius for god's sake. He should be after bigger fish.

His last few months had been focused onto extra-terrestrial surveillance. He had kept tabs on Internet sites, hacked into several satellites and even managed to shuttle his own spacecraft into space. But after many months of tiresome calculations he had deduced he was more likely to come across little red riding hood than he was to prove the existence of aliens.

He picked up the book lying on his desk and flicked through the pages. Fanning himself, backwards and forwards. He had a curious obsession with fairy stories of late, and although he knew it was childish and foolish, he couldn't help thinking he was missing something, a part of the bigger picture. He traced his fingers around a picture of a little elf with pointy ears and wings, smiling softly to himself. Then he snapped the book shut, as he had done on countless occasions already.

"Fairies" he muttered angrily.

Butler glanced at him from across the room, momentarily averting his eyes from the screens of the surveillance system. His young charge had been showing very strange habits lately. Butler wasn't unduly worried. He was very fond of the boy and could tell when something was seriously wrong, but all the same, Artemis was definitely… distracted.

Butler knew the fairy obsession _should_ worry him. A fifteen-year-old, boy genius should not be spending his time reading fairy stories. Yet, somewhere in the being of the old bodyguard, he felt that the notion of fairies wasn't as ridiculous as would seem to most people. Somehow he felt a faint familiarity with the terms elf, fairy and magic. He also felt a certain military association with the word 'leprechaun', yet he had no clue as to why this should be. He had often thought of discussing these feelings with Artemis, but he was never sure if the boy would take him seriously, or just call him mad. Eventually he had decided to avoid the subject.

"Butler" said Artemis suddenly. "I'm going to bed."

This sudden announcement did not fool Butler in the slightest.

"Artemis, why don't you actually sleep for once, rather than stay up all night. You're looking even paler than usual." Butler's voice was tinged with concern.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just told you, I'm going to bed. What else would I do in a bed, Butler, other than sleep?"

Butler sighed as he watched his young charge leave the room stiffly, still clutching in his hand the book of fairy stories. Butler knew exactly what Artemis was going to do. Sit in bed, as he did most nights, and read through the pile of books by his bed. And each of those books had a one common factor: fairies.

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**Next chapter up soon i hope :) please review if you liked this. I love hearing from you. All constructive criticism welcome.**


	3. Root's Office

**Well, here we are again. The last two were pretty short chapters, i hope this one might be a wee bit longer. Really I don't have much of an idea where this is going, but i like writing it so... read on.**

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"Short!" came the shout from Commander Root's office "Get in here"

Holly sighed. Well, she had to go back to work at some point. No time like the present.

"Good to have you back Short." Root looked at her and his expression softened. "Are you alright Holly?"

"Yessir. Fine sir." Holly answered automatically. Root suspected she was lying, but knew better than question her."

"Right, good. Well, we have a new assignment for you. Some mudmen scientists have been coming dangerously close to discovering _the people_, what with their earth probes and their constant search for an answer to their fuel problems."

"You mean, the search for an alternative to fossil fuels? Artemis told me a little about the problems of humans." Holly smiled sadly as she remembered a frustrated Artemis trying to explain mudmen problems.

"Yes, yes. The whole fuel… thing." Root replied absent-mindedly. "Well, these mudmen have found an unexpectedly large amount of power emitting from three spots in the Atacama Desert."

Holly looked blank.

"That's in Chile, Short." Root laughed. "Anyway, it just so happens, those three power spots are the exact locations of three of our shuttles. The power being used in the shuttles has reacted with the heat in the desert and is emitting radiation. This hasn't gone unnoticed by the mudmen and the idiots have started drilling to try and excavate whatever is causing the radiation."

"D'arvit!" swore Holly. This was bad, bad news.

"Don't worry Short, it's not as bad as it could have been. Lucky Foaly here was quick enough to realise that these mudmen weren't just digging up oil."

Foaly, who had been sitting in the corner of Root's office quietly, beamed. He loved compliments, well, the closest thing he would get to a compliment from Commander Root.

"Anyway, by any standards, this is a hard assignment. We're sending in the best Short, and the best in my books, is you."

"Thankyou sir." Whispered Holly. "So, I'm guessing it's more than a straightforward fly-in and mind-wipe?"

Root sighed, "I'm afraid it is a lot more than that. It's a fly-in, find out exactly how deep these mudmen have drilled, find a way to halt the digging, mind-wipe the entire excavation team and all the scientists involved, delete all records of the investigation, cover up any holes or signs of digging and stop these shuttles from emitting so much radiation." Root finally stopped to breath, his face even redder than usual.

Holly exhaled deeply. "You want me to go alone?"

"Of course not Short! Don't be an idiot. You'll go in with Trouble kelp to do a quick recon. Find a way to stop the drilling, then report back to me, understood?"

"Yessir."

"Foaly will equip you and Kelp."

"Yessir."

"And Holly?"

"Yessir?"

"Try not to think about the mudboy. We've got him under surveillance, he's fine."

"Yes… sir."

Holly slowly followed Foaly out of Roots office, avoiding eye contact with the commander. Root sat down in his chair and sighed as he watched his top captain go. He had no idea the mudboy's mindwipe would affect her like this. It was for the best, he told himself. But if he was honest, he wasn't sure if it was.

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**longer(ish) chapter this time. can i just say... yay! Root's back. :p**


	4. The Atacama Assignment

**Back again. Thanks for the reviews and advice. much appreciated. I tried to get root losing his temper a little this time. But i agree, it would have been better in the last chapter. oh well :) Much longer chapter this time. hopefully the chapters will be more like this length from now on...**

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"Right Holly." Whinnied Foaly handing her a helmet. "This is the latest in recon technology. State of the art and invented," He gave a low bow. "by me!"

"Yes, Foaly enough with the theatrics." Trouble Kelp walked into the room. "Hiya Short." He winked. For the first time that day, Holly grinned. Trouble Kelp always manged to cheer her up. His carefree attitude always made her feel safe. The two had been friends a long time. She would enjoy talking to him later.

"I was just explaining about my new recon helmets before you interrupted." Foaly muttered angrily. "And you're late."

"**_Our_** new recon helmets Foaly," corrected Kelp, "and yes, sorry, no excuse for lateness." He smiled at Holly. "Carry on."

"Well, as I was saying." Continued Foaly, clearly disgruntled. "These helmets have optical zoom vision, as well as equipped for night time recon. It will shield with you, go underwater if needed, withstand a forest fire and protect your pretty little heads from any lasers, bullets or anything else these mudmen might throw at you."

"Foaly, that's amazing, I am genuinely impressed." Holly decided it would be in her best interests to flatter the centaur. Trouble may have rolled his eyes but Holly was right. Foaly beamed at her and proceeded to equip the two elves with wings, weaponry, helmets and anything else needed for their mission. In just under half an hour, Trouble and Holly were set with visas to the surface and ready to go.

Root was there to see them off. "Right." He said, "This shuttle will take you to the surface. From there you will fly to the desert. Do a quick recon, find out exactly how we are going to have to go about stopping those machines, and then get your butts back down to haven. I'll be waiting for a full report in 48 hours. Understood?"

Holly paused. "Are we staying overnight?"

"Yes Captain Short, do you have a problem with that?"

"Umm, no sir." She looked sheepishly at Kelp. His eyes were fixed forward, deliberately not looking at Holly.

Root rolled his eyes. "Oh for the love of Frond! Can two self respecting officers of the opposite sex not go on a recon without hormones going wild?" The characteristic red tinge was emerging in his cheeks.

Holly and Kelp both blushed deeply. In truth, Holly hadn't even been thinking about what she was sure the commander was thinking about. Since the mindwipe, she'd been having reoccurring bad dreams, resulting in her waking up shouting. She didn't want to have to stay overnight with Trouble if he would find her thrashing around and calling out in her sleep. She had no idea exactly what she would be calling out in her sleep, and she sure as Frond didn't want Kelp hearing if it was anything to do with Artemis.

Root turned around, angrily muttering something along the lines of "quality of the force these days". Kelp laughed quietly and Holly was almost sure she saw steam emitting from Roots ears.

Foaly grinned at them "I'd better go calm down the commander. Good luck Holly, Kelp."

"Foaly, if I know Root, you'd probably stay as far away from him as possible when he's like this." Holly smiled for the second time that day. Foaly simply shrugged and trotted off in the direction of Julius.

Holly and Trouble strapped themselves into the shuttle as the doors swung closed. Trouble turned to Holly.

"It's good to see you Holly. I know we're on a mission and all, but it'll be good to spend some time with you. It's been ages since we…well… just hung out."

"It has. What with the whole Spiro episode and the mudman mind wipe…" Holly inwardly winced. It didn't go unnoticed by Kelp.

"Holly, if you need to talk."

Holly stopped him. She nodded slowly but then jerked her head towards a camera pinned to the wall above their heads, mouthing the words "not here." Trouble nodded, and continued to make small talk. Holly participated unenthusiastically, her thoughts elsewhere. She was going to the surface. Artemis lived on the surface. Maybe, they could fly to Chile via Fowl Manor, just so she could check up on the mudman. No. She was being stupid, she was on call and nothing should get in the way of her mission. The old Holly Short would never let her thoughts stray from the assignment. She must be ill.

A few hours later, the two were flying, both shielded and full to the brim with magic. Kelp had long since given up chatting to Holly. It was more effort than it was worth. He would have to wait to find out what was troubling her.

"Kelp, down there! Look." Holly pointed to a scene in the distance. A parade of machinery and quickly constructed port-a-cabins spoiled the untouched scenery of the desert. They flew down, shielded, to take a closer look.

There were about six port-a-cabins, four big, and two smaller. Several bulldozers and dumper trucks were moving piles of sand to the outskirts of the camp while three large machines were drilling a massive hole that seemed to reach several thousand feet below the ground. The whole place had a heat haze above the sandy ground and as far as Holly could see, all of the human workmen were as close to naked as was decently possible. This was obviously a big-budget program. Holly shuddered involuntarily. This was just one of three excavation camps. If any one of the three succeeded, the situation could be dire to _the people. _

"Right." Said Trouble, looking at Holly. "I'm going to go down and get some close ups of the machinery, give Foaly something to look at. You go check out the two smaller cabins. Whoever's in charge of this operation is likely to be in one of those."

Holly nodded and sped off toward the port-a-cabins, while Kelp flew in the opposite direction.

The first cabin was obviously a bathroom. Holly wrinkled her nose at the smell and quickly moved on. The second was much smarter. Holly waited until someone came along to open the door before slipping inside as it closed behind her.

"Close the bloody door! Do you think I want it as hot in here as it is out there? For Gods sake I don't spend hundreds of dollars on air conditioning for bloody nothing! Jesus!"

Holly looked over at the shouting man. He was dressed in an expensive suit, the tie pulled down loose revealing the open top button of his collar. His hair was black, and slicked into a side parting with copious amounts of gel. Large beads of sweat were being emitted from every area of bare skin, and the underarms of his shirt were soaking from where his deodorant was obviously ineffective. All in all, he was dressed most idiotically for the climate he was working in. Holly decided at once that she didn't like him.

The man sat down at his desk, staring intently at the computer screen. Holly moved closer so she could see the contents of the screen. Eventually, the man registered that the person he'd shouted out was still there.

"Well?" he snapped, "What do you want?"

The workman looked sheepish, "Well, it's the men Mr Falkner. They asked me… they said to…" He shook his head and began again. "The heat is becoming too much sir. We've had five men collapse from heat stroke already today. They need a break sir, at least once every two hours. One half hour break every lunchtime isn't…" The man was cut off.

"Do I look like I need someone telling me how to do my job?"

"No Mr Falkner but..."

"Well then shut those dithering idiots up and tell them to get back to work! If they didn't want to work in a desert, they should have said so before they got here. They are not being paid to do nothing every two hours. Now get the HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

The workman meekly scurried out the room.

"AND SHUT THE DAMN DOOR!"

Holly decided she hated this man. Mr Falkner was obviously a ruthless, money-mad businessman. She looked at the contents of the computer screen, just facts and figures, nothing of any relevance really. She took a look round the room. It was small and well decorated. You wouldn't think it was in the middle of a desert judging by its interior. Holly didn't think she'd have any bad feelings about stopping this project and mind wiping this mudman. She decided to report back to Trouble and see what he said. Starting up her wings she sped out of the room. Mr Falkner did not even look up as she closed the door behind her.

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**Phew. kind of a boring chapter I know, but will be updated soon :) thanks to those who have reviewed. gives me the warm fuzzies when you do :)**


	5. Heart to Heart

**Hello again. I hope I'm not being too slow at updating. Thank you all so much, all who reviewed, I lurrrv hearing from you. This chapter is slightly shorter than the last, but still okay i hope. I realise this story is dragging on a bit, it's going to be a long'un :) **

**Oh and because i've forgotten in the last few chpts: Disclaimer :- I own nothing in these stories, apart from Mrs Falkner, he's one of mine.  
**

**happy reading.**

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Holly settled herself down next to Trouble in the base camp he'd erected behind a sand dune, shielded from the workmen. She assumed it was a base camp, to her it looked more like a mat with four poles supporting a camo-sheet. The air was starting to cool down as the workmen began to shut down for the night.

"Success?" asked Trouble.

"Of sorts." She replied. "I found out that the mudman in charge of this site is less pleasant than a goblin." Trouble laughed.

"Well, I think the machinery here is pretty harmless. I'm no expert, but I expect a team of Techies will be able to dismantle them no problem. I've sent a few photos to Foaly through this," he tapped his helmet cam. "And I expect he'll be able to explain the situation when we get back."

Holly breathed out. "Well, it seems simple enough. I expect the other two sites will be much the same. Although, I'd like to know where the scientists behind the whole idea are. There was a computer in Mr Falkner's office, I'd like to get a closer look at that."

"Sounds like a plan. First though, we should get some rest. Wait till the mudmen shut down for the night. Then we can get a good look at the computer before setting off for the next two sites in the morning."

Trouble looked fondly at Holly. He then did something that should never be done by a fairy above ground; he removed his helmet. Holly followed suit, turning off her mike and facing the helmet cam away from the two bodies.

"So Holly. Am I going to get an explanation for your mysterious behaviour?"

Holly was lost for words. How could she explain her feelings to Trouble if she didn't even understand them herself? "I don't know Trouble. Ever since the mind wipe, all I can think of Artemis and whether it was really fair to steal his memories. He did so much for the people… so much."

"Holly, you know he was a threat to the people. You _know_ it."

"I know, it's just… he had come so far. He was a different boy to the one who kidnapped me, him and Butler both. We needed them. They helped us and we helped them in turn.

"Yeah, helped them to a great deal of fairy gold." Said Trouble bitterly.

"D'arvit Trouble, don't you understand what I'm saying at all?" cried Holly

"No Holly. If I'm completely honest I don't. You're acting strangely over a couple of mudmen. It's completely off character!"

Holly looked away. There were tears in her eyes and she felt hollow inside. If Trouble Kelp, her best friend for a long time, didn't understand her, then no one would. An unexpected arm curled itself round Holly's shoulders, pulling her towards the warm body of the fairy next to her. She allowed her friend to comfort her, resting her head on Troubles shoulder.

"I'm sorry Holly. I don't really understand what you're feeling right now, but you and the mudmen must have become quite close. Even after all they did." Trouble had never really forgiven Fowl for kidnapping Holly. "But you have to forget about it now. It's not your problem anymore. Fowl is part of the Human world, and we need to leave him to get on with his life, and you need to get on with yours." He smiled at Holly.

Holly stared straight ahead of her and shivered. The desert had become pitch black during the time they were talking, and there was an eerie hush in the excavation site behind them. Trouble released his arm from around Holly and picked up his helmet, placing it back on his hansom head. Holly, once again, followed suit.

"Finally, lets get some night vision going. I could hardly see a thing in the dark." Trouble flicked a switch on the side of his helmet, illuminating the inside of his visor green. "Right, I think it's time to go check out that computer. Ready Captain Short?"

"Ready," replied Holly as the two fairies prepared to take flight. "And Trouble?"

"Yes Holly?"

"Thank you."

Kelp said nothing, but under his helmet he was beaming. He would never in a million years tell Holly how he felt about her. He knew she would never see him as anything more than Trouble Kelp; her best friend and co-partner, but it made him smile to just be around her all the same.

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**I promise in advance this is NOT going to be a Holly/Trouble fic, no matter how much he loves her. I do think it would be a good couple, but not in this story... updates comming shortly... thankyou all reviewers, i love you all dearly :)**


	6. Discovery

**I know that this is being updated rather quickly. But when you dont sleep till 4 in the morning, there's not much else you can do with your time. Besides, the chapters aren't all that long. :) this one is longer though, kinda more two chpts rolled into one. Thankyou again for the reviews. I don't do this for the reviews really, they're an added bonus. But it also keeps me motivated to write and update more quick. So if you enjoy, and want me to get to the Artemis/Holly scenes quicker then review review review! (I do realise there has been a severe lack of Fowl so far. This will be put right in time)  
:) **

**Diclaimer:- I own nothing except the plot, Mr Falkner and Ms Cheung  
**

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The monitor of the computer flashed brightly, blinding the two LEP officers momentarily. Once Holly restored her vision she begun searching through the computers database, looking through files, websites, anything opened by the user in the last 5 days. Kelp took to rooting around the office.

"Hey Short, look at this." Trouble laughed as he held up a photo of a fat man standing proudly beside a pretty lady in a white lab coat handing over a certificate. Holly glanced over and recognised the man as Mr Falkner, though distinctly rounder. She sniggered and continued her search. After a while she sat back in submission.

"Nothing." She said lamely, "I've searched the whole computer and there is nothing of interest. It's mainly facts and figures, budgets and the like. A few documents on what the project is for, discovery of a new source of power, yatter yatter yatter. Nothing useful."

"Have you checked his email?" asked Kelp, examining a small round tin he found in a draw.

"Yep. Most of the emails are to Scientists, Dr something and Dr somebody else. Mainly about what the new power source could mean to the world and how he's hoping to be rewarded for his discovery. What a pompous git!" Holly opened another few emails. "A couple of these are sent to a Ms Cheung. About some sort of plan, going smoothly. I assume that's the excavation plan?" Holly looked over to her associate and laughed. "Having trouble, Trouble?"

Trouble was too busy trying to prise open the lock on the tin he found previously to hear Holly's jibe. The female officer took out her neutrino and, setting it to low, let a small burst blast the lock from the tin. "Holly!" cried Trouble. "Firstly, we're meant to make it seem like we've never been here, and secondly… ow! You nearly had my fingers off!"

Holly smiled innocently "Oops," was all she said. Trouble laughed, this was more like the Holly Short he knew. He opened the tin and prised out a small disk. Holly took the disk, giving Trouble a friendly punch on the shoulder, and inserted it into the computer. Trouble reached over and grabbed the female captain in a headlock. Soon the two were engaged in a playful fistfight, too absorbed to notice the images appearing on the monitor. Holly was the first to turn and look, and what she saw made her heart stop.

"Aww, c'mon Short, tired alread… Holy Frond." Trouble's jaw dropped as he saw what was displayed on the screen in front of them. It seemed to be images from a heat scan. The shapes were just silhouettes, like the ones Holly had seen on Foaly's retina scan. But the shaped were unmistakeable. The outline of several small creatures emblazoned themselves on the screen. Some had pointy ears, some were shorter with larger back-ends. Holly scrolled through each of the pictures, her draw dropping a little lower each time she encountered a new image. Outlines of Elves, Pixies, Dwarfs stood out of the monitor screen like nightmares. Each had a little grey box of text beside it. Holly chose a box and began to read:

_'Small in stature, these creatures seem to have developed a civilisation below ground. So far I have only managed to capture images of the beings themselves and nothing of their surroundings. I expect they are underdeveloped creatures, hidden below ground before evolution took its place. Their colony is probably ancient, with underdeveloped buildings and materials and so forth. But that does not answer the question as to how they have gone undiscovered for so long. Further research needed before we begin drilling. We do not know how dangerous these new beings could be.'_

"This is bad. D'arvit, this is bad" Trouble kept repeating to himself. At the top of the screen were the words 'Operation SUBLEVEL - Small Unidentified Beings Living. EVentual Excavation Liable.' This Mr Falkner obviously wasn't good with mnemonics. Holly wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. He knew about the people! But how? Where had he got the technology to see below ground, thousands of millions of feet below ground? Holly scrolled to the last page of the document and read the text from the grey box. The paragraph was short and it made the breath catch in her lungs.

_'Have been assured the race is harmless. Excavation begins imminently.'_

"Holly, we're out of our depths here. We have to take this disc back to Foaly. We don't know how many people this Faulkner guy could have told of his plans to. We need to deal with this quickly."

Holly nodded and instantly opened a link through to Foaly.

"Unappreciated Horse-Genius, at your service. Holly? Is that you?"

"Foaly, we have a situation. Can you see what I see?"

"Be my eyes Captain Short… Holy Frond!" Holly heard what sounded like smashing china. Foaly would miss that 'Kiss me Quick' mug later, once this crisis was over.

"Holly, is that? What is that?" Foaly was astounded

"I have no idea, we found it on a disc in a mudman's office."

"Ok, Holly, Trouble, I'm calling the commander, you two better get back to Haven, quickly." Holly closed the link.

Trouble was staring at the images on screen. "I don't understand Holly. Where would a mudman as stupid as Falkner get the technology to produce these images?"

"Maybe Falkner isn't as stupid as he looks." Said Holly simply. "You have to hand it to him, by creating this impression that he's digging to uncover a new power source, he has the perfect reason, and funding, to cover for a completely different motive." Holly became thoughtful. "Or maybe he's just a front man, and somewhere there's the real brains behind this outfit." Holly and Trouble's eyes met in a terrible reality.

"Haven?" Trouble asked.

"Haven." Holly replied, shielding.

* * *

"D'arvit." Swore Commander Root, his face so red Holly was afraid his brain would boil over. "This mission was difficult enough without... THIS!"

Holly swallowed. "How do you think this happened Commander? I mean, you've seen the footage of Mr Falkner, he's...well...an idiot."

"What are you saying Short?" hissed Julius, glaring up at the images on the screen, now enlarged by Foaly to three times their original size.

"I'm saying that isn't it more likely that there is someone else driving the plan?" Holly decided to voice the fears that Trouble and herself had shared when they looked at each other earlier. "Someone smarter, and who knows how to use technology to his own means. Someone who can manipulate..."

"No." Root interrupted. "Impossible, we've been keeping a very close eye on Fowl, his schemes are all human based, nothing more."

Holly felt relief flood through her. Mixed with what she could only describe as... regret? If Artemis had been behind it all, she would get to see him again, and for some strange reason, the thought of seeing the mudboy again made her undeniably happy.

Trouble decided to step in. "What do you suggest we do commander?"

Root suddenly looked very tired. "I don't know Kelp," he said, sinking into a chair. "I just don't know." This should be a simple mind-wipe, but if, as Holly says, Falkner is working for someone else, we could be dealing with a much more complicated enemy. It could be a single person running this program, or an entire organisation. I don't know where to start looking."

Foaly pawed the ground thoughtfully. "I'm almost certain that Mr Falkner is the only mudman on-site that has been filled in on the real motive. The other scientists have been kept in the dark. A lockdown of all three sites to do a mass mind-wipe wouldn't be hard. After that it's tracking down the brains of the outfit that's going to be the hard point."

"But if we mind wipe and close down the entire production, the masterminds behind it all will know something went wrong," Pointed out Trouble, "and they would most likely go into hiding, then restart the mission again in a few months."

"Not to mention the effect this would have on the media. They would want to know why this now famous dig had been shut down." Stated Holly. "We'd need to come up with a reason as to why the dig failed, and mesmor some mudmen to tell the reporters the story."

Root sighed. It was near impossible. "Let's face it," He said calmly. "We only have one chance of escaping this situation. We need to swallow our pride and ask for help, again."

Holly breathed in sharply and looked at the commander, not believing what he was saying.

"Foaly, get us surface visas and order a shuttle to Fowl Manor. Time to remind an old friend of our existence."

**---**

**Well that was the longest chapter i've ever written :) Next update may not be for a few days as I havn't really planned the next few bits. My ideas for this fic were kinda sketchy to begin with, but it's my first fic so I hope hope hope you like :) Reviews welcome... criticism, even ideas for future chapters? cheers.  
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	7. Memories, memories

**Here it is at last. Sorry It's taken me so long to update. I've been busy. For the sake of my story I've made Artemis 14 in this story, but approaching his 15th birthday. It doesn't quite run-in with how old he was at the end of TEC, but it's just to make the story more believable. :) sorry to anyone who finds this insulting.**

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Fowl Manor was deathly quiet. It often was at two o'clock in the morning. Artemis was sleeping restlessly, tossing and turning as he dreamed. In his dream, small creatures with pointed ears and wings visited him. They called to him, drawing him nearer. He recognised them but couldn't name them. Artemis crawled forward, painfully slowly, as if he was crawling through tar. He could almost reach them. And still they were calling, oh they were calling.

"I'm coming!" He whispered. "I'm coming!" But the creatures turned away, giving up waiting.

"No! Wait! I'm coming!" Artemis cried but to no avail. He pulled and strained to try and move quicker but it was too late. He screamed, trying to get the tiny beings to wait but the more he moved the further away they got.

Artemis woke with a jolt, sitting blot upright in his four-poster. He put a hand to his head. He was sweating and gasping for water. Breathing deeply, he got out of bed and put on his dressing gown, heading for the kitchen. The wooden floor felt cold under his feet as he shuffled down the corridor towards the stairs. At the top of the spiral staircase he stopped. There were voices coming from downstairs. Should he wake Butler? Perhaps not, he may just be imagining it. He didn't want his old friend thinking he was paranoid.

Slowly, he made his way down the stairs. It was difficult in the dark, and he had to reach his hands out to feel where he was. He had reached the kitchen. There were definitely voices coming from inside.

'Now if I was sensible,' thought Artemis, 'I would go get Butler to investigate.' But as it was, curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the kitchen door.

There was a yelp, a stifled laugh and a lot of scuffling. Artemis reached out one hand and turned on the light. What he saw made his jaw drop.

In front of him stood four figures. A small, red-faced man had his hands round the neck of a tiny bearded fellow with an enormous behind. Behind them, stood what Artemis recognised from his fairy books; a centaur. To the right, behind the kitchen counter stood a small, slight figure, Artemis suspected female. She was shielding her eyes from the brightness of the kitchen light with one hand and in the other she held… a gun.

Artemis knew that weapons meant business. He was about to call for Butler when the red-faced man let go of his hostage and addressed him.

"Fowl. Don't be alarmed, we're not going to…"

"Butler!" Artemis shouted. He would feel safer once his bodyguard was at his side. There was a resounding crash from upstairs and all five figures tensed as Butler came storming down the stairs and into the kitchen. He stopped suddenly at the sight of four strangers standing in front of him, one of which was armed. He drew out a gun.

"Artemis, get behind me."

The red faced man sighed. "For Frond's sake Short, put away your weapon." He turned to Artemis. "Fowl, We don't mean any harm. We're not criminals… well… this one is." He pointed at the bearded man beside him, who grinned, baring a set of enormous teeth.

Artemis stepped out from behind Butler. "Name yourselves, and state your business." He ordered.

The auburn haired girl stepped forward and Artemis felt his stomach lurch. He recognised her from his dreams. She was one of the creatures calling out to him. He looked into her hazel eyes and saw how soft they were. She was looking at Artemis as if she hadn't seen him in a long time, greedily soaking up every inch of him.

"You." He whispered. The girl looked puzzled.

"You remember me, Fowl?" She asked

"Yes, I mean… no. I've seen you before but…"

The red-faced man interrupted. "Look, this was not the way it was supposed to happen, but someone here," He looked daggers and the bearded man who cowered behind a counter "couldn't find the light switch. I'm Commander Julius Root. We've met before though neither of you will remember it. Now will you kindly tell your bodyguard to lower his weapon, we haven't got much time."

Artemis looked thoroughly confused. He looked over at Butler and to his surprise; the manservant had already lowered his weapon, without Artemis' say-so. The young boy took this to mean that his manservant trusted the intruders. He quickly pulled himself together. If these creatures were here to talk business then business is what they'd get. Artemis gestured to the kitchen table. "Would you care to sit down?"

The party seated themselves at the table. The centaur began to unpack equipment and machinery onto the table. Butler watched, suspiciously. Although he knew he shouldn't trust these creatures, somehow he felt as if he'd met them all before, and he trusted them almost completely.

"Right Fowl." The self-proclaimed commander was speaking. Artemis directed his attention from the auburn haired girl to him instead. "This is going to take a little explaining. You're probably not going to believe it at first, but you're going to have to bear with me. What I'm about to tell you is completely true. Are you prepared to listen to what I'm going to say?"

Artemis nodded curtly.

"Good, because you really don't have a choice in the matter anyway." Artemis frowned, this was not a good position to be in. "Fowl, we are fairies." The commander announced this impressively, pausing, waiting for Artemis to react. The boy didn't even blink. Root was clearly disgruntled. "Do you believe me?"

"Yes." Replied the boy simply, "Go on." In truth, Artemis did not believe the commander entirely, but he didn't think that time would be profitably spent if he asked the visitors to prove themselves to be fairies.

The commander looked uncomfortably at the centaur, and carried on. "Well, I can't say I didn't expect more of a reaction from you…"

"Spare me, commander." Artemis sneered. "I thought you said that time was of the essence and you have yet to introduce me to your associates here."

The auburn girl seemed to react to this speech. She seemed sad for some reason, as if Artemis' had confirmed some dark suspicion. The commander decided to take control of the situation.

"You're right, mudboy, I did say we didn't have much time. So I'll make this quick. I am the commander of a Fairy police force. We live underground, away from human eyes. This here is my tech-boy, Foaly. He's a…"

"Centaur, I gathered." Artemis couldn't resist a chance to show off his knowledge. Root ignored him and continued.

"…a centaur. The elf next to me is Captain Holly Short. She works for me." Artemis' eyes met Holly's. She said nothing, but Artemis could sense she was waiting for something. "This reprobate here is the infamous Mulch Diggums. He's a dwarf." The bearded man Root had gestured to grinned craftily. "He's here to help us… jog your memory."

"Jog my memory?" Artemis was puzzled, "Are you suggesting I should know all this information already?"

"Fowl, let me explain." Commander Root's face had a pained expression. "D'arvit Foaly, have you got the machines set up yet?"

"I'm working on it Commander, give me a few more minutes." The centaur whinnied.

"Need any help?" Artemis asked innocently. His words had the desired effect. 

"No, **_thank you_** mudboy." Snapped Foaly. Artemis smiled to himself. He always knew how to wind anyone up, human **_or_** fairy.

"Fowl. About two years ago, you discovered fairies existed."

"Preposterous, I think I would remember if I had commander."

"No you wouldn't." A small, quiet voice came from the corner of the table. Artemis looked over; Holly had spoken for the first time.

Artemis was momentarily disorientated. "What… why wouldn't I…" He recollected himself and addressed Root once more. "Commander, I believe there is something you are not telling me."

"Done!" exclaimed Foaly triumphantly. "It's all set up and ready Julius."

"Right. Fowl. Listen to me know, I'm only going to say this once. A while ago, we wiped your memory. We removed all knowledge of **_the people _**from your mind, effectively removing two years of memories. However," The commander spoke quickly, so Artemis couldn't interrupt. "We need your help. We have a problem and face possible by discovery by the human race unless we do something. We are going to attempt to restore your memories to you."

There was a pause while Root's words sunk in. Butler was the first to speak.

"Two years?"

"Artemis was twelve when he first kidnapped Captain Short here. He held her ransom for a large amount of gold. We are also the ones who rescued your father from the Arctic." Root glared at Artemis, daring him to speak.

Artemis spoke, very calmly and steadily. "So, you stole two years worth of memories from me?"

"Cry me a fucking river mudboy, you're going to rebuke **_me _**for stealing?" The commander almost laughed.

"This is, in effect, blackmail commander. In order to get my memories back, I have to agree to help you."

"No," Holly spoke again. "We're going to give you your memories back for nothing. After that, you can decide whether you want to help us or not."

**---**

**:O Root said 'fucking'! a bit off character there, but i thought it made the line a tad funnier. **

**Took me a while to write this chapter. reviews please? and please dont flame me for things that don't quite tie in with the series, its my first fic :) i deserve a bit of leeway **


	8. Untested Contraptions

**Next chapter up. i am very very slow at updating atm so im very very sorry. enjoy this chapter, its a long-un with lots of fluff.**

**disclaimer - i own nothing.**

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Artemis sat in the lounge of Fowl Manor. Diodes were fixed to his temples and the back of his hands. He sighed heavily as Foaly pressed buttons and flicked switches on the machinery that had been moved to the sitting room.

"Quit your sighing mudboy, this is going to take a while." Muttered Foaly.

"What exactly IS all this?" Asked Artemis, his voice full of contempt.

"All this? This is state of the art technology. It's a bit temperamental as we've never had to reverse a mind wipe before." Foaly looked shifty.

"Is there something you're not telling us Foaly?" Asked Holly suspiciously.

"Well, I mean… the technology has never been successfully tested before." Foaly admitted.

"What? No. No. Not happening." Artemis ripped the diodes from his hands and temples. "I refuse to be a guinea pig for your contraband Foaly. You can keep your memories."

"Fowl! We don't have time for this!" Root yelled, turning purple. He took a step towards Artemis and Butler placed a hand firmly on his shoulder.

"I suggest you find some other way, Commander." Said Butler quietly. "You are still strangers to us remember. And I deal with strangers who threaten Artemis very seriously."

Root was seething. He opened his mouth to shout something when Mulch entered from the kitchen, clutching an enormous sandwich.

"I bloody love mudman food." He surveyed the scene, "What's going on?"

Holly decided to explain. "It turns out that Foaly's technology isn't as reliable as we thought."

"I object to that Holly!" Foaly was disgruntled.

"There may be technical difficulties and, well, it's not safe to make the mudmen undergo the tests. We have to find another way." Holly sat on the sofa, rubbing her head in frustration. "But we have to find it fast."

"Would this help?" Asked Mulch through a mouthful of sandwich, holding up a small coin with a hole in the centre, attached to a leather thong.

"That's just the coin I gave Artemis. It may trigger a few residual memories, but nothing more." Said Holly with a sad smile, "It's a nice thought though Mulch."

"No! When Fowl gave me this, he also gave me a note, telling me to return this to him in a few years time, it must be kinda important."

Root turned maroon. "And you didn't mention this before BECAUSE?"

"I thought you lot had it sussed." Mulch examined the dirt under his nails.

"Let me see." Artemis snatched the medallion greedily. "This isn't a coin at all, its just painted in a coating of gold. And it's fairly substandard too." Snorted Artemis. "This is a disc. Obviously of some importance."

"Well Fowl, you've outsmarted us once again." Foaly admitted defeat.

Holly moved towards Artemis. "I think you'd better find out what's on those discs Artemis." She said softly. "You and Butler should go get your memories back."

"Yes… Holly." Artemis left the room, followed by Butler. Holly turned to Foaly and started to help him pack up his equipment.

"Will whatever is on that disc work Foaly?" asked Holly uncertainly.

"Yes." Replied Foaly simply. "Because Artemis is the only person I know, smart enough to think of a way to get past the mind wipe. We'll have the old Fowl boy and his manservant back before long."

"And I don't even get a thank you" huffed Mulch.

"I'll thank you once we know it worked." Laughed Holly ruffling the dwarf's hair.

"And I'll thank _**you**_ not to ruffle my hair like that _captain._ It's very patronising." Mulch spun around and flounced out of the room in a comical manner. Holly smiled to herself as the dwarf left. If Mulch had, indeed provided the solution to their problem, she would _definitely _thank him later.

A couple of hours later the two mudmen had still not emerged from the study. Root was becoming impatient.

"This is wasting time. If they don't emerge in the next thirty seconds I'm going to march right in there and…"

The door to the study opened. Root, Foaly, Holly and Mulch immediately stood up from the comfy lounge chairs they had been sitting on, staring at the figure in the doorway. A small, scrawny boy with raven black hair emerged from the study, followed by a tall, bulky Eurasian.

"Well?" demanded Commander Root. "Do you remember us now?"

Artemis looked as if he had gained two years in the last few hours. He had gone into the study as an immature child genius. He had come out looking older, wiser and as if he knew more about the world. He stared at the fairy people in front of him. His eyes fell on Holly. She looked at him but there was no trace of emotion on his face. He was expressionless, unreadable. Suddenly a crafty grin played upon his lips.

"Nice to have you all back."

Roots face wore an expression of relief, "You took your time Fowl. What the hell was on that disc?"

"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it Commander? Besides we have more pressing matters. You have reinstated my memories for one reason and one reason only. You are obviously in need of my assistance."

"Straight to the point." Grinned Foaly. "Fowl, I hate to admit it but I've missed you!"

Holly turned to the manservant. "And you Butler?"

His bulky arms caught her in a tight hug. "Holly." He said, "It's so good to see you again."

"You too, mudman." Holly returned the embrace. Artemis surveyed the scene with impartial interest. He couldn't express how happy he felt about seeing them all again. His… friends? Now could he really call them that? Having no prior experience on the subject he could only assume that the odd mixture of characters standing in that room could be described as friends, _his _friends. Of course he maintained his cool exterior. It wouldn't do to let his guard down, not even amongst friends.

"Well, Fowl, you were right. We have a very big problem. We have a plane ready to take us to Chile. I'll explain on the way."

"Chile?" Artemis was intrigued, "You are, of course, assuming that I am agreeing to help you."

Holly punched him playfully on the arm. "Come on Fowl, get on that plane." And he dutifully followed the elf off of the estate, rubbing his arm tenderly.

* * *

Artemis sat in quiet contemplation. Julius Root had described the problem to him and Artemis had requested half an hour's isolation to brainstorm. The motley crew were currently several thousand feet above the surface of the earth, jetting their way towards South America. Artemis was thinking hard about the task in hand. Of course the LEP could just stop time and do a mass mind wipe. But that was as a last resort, and even then, there may be a brain behind the whole operation and if they got away, then their situation hadn't changed.

Holly suddenly interrupted his thoughts. She stood, looking radiantly dishevelled; standing on the other side of the table he was sitting at. He stared at her. He couldn't believe he had ever forgotten such a magnificent creature. The surge of feelings he had for the female seemed so sudden that he inadvertently blushed. Holly noticed but pretended not to. "Am I interrupting Fowl?" She asked innocently.

"No, not at all. Please." Artemis snapped back into normal mode, gesturing to a chair to the right of him. Holly ignored the gesture and took a chair opposite him, staring at him full in the face.

"Well?" She asked.

"Well what?" Sighed Artemis.

Holly rolled her eyes at him, "What do you mean 'well what'? Well, have you got a plan yet is what is what."

"Holly, your incorrect use of the English language never fails to amaze me. That sentence made no sense whatsoever."

"Well, Fowl, that's hardly surprising since English isn't my first language." The two smiled, Fowl let himself relax in his chair. He was at ease with Holly. She understood him.

"I've missed you Holly." He said sincerely.

"Is this you being sentimental Artemis?" Laughed Holly.

"No!" said Artemis quickly, too quickly. Holly laughed again and Artemis cursed his spontaneity. He recovered as quickly has he had faltered. "Well, if the feeling isn't mutual then I don't suppose there is any reason for me being here…"

"Alright Artemis, I've missed you too. Ok? Happy now?" Holly rested her chin in her hand, leaning her elbow against the table, playfully teasing Artemis Fowl II.

Artemis smiled, satisfied. "Haven just can't survive without me."

"Can't live with you, can't live without you." Muttered Holly, "Just like members of the male species everywhere."

"God help anyone who tries to date you Holly Short!" exclaimed Artemis.

Holly was taken aback "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Artemis couldn't help but smirk, "I just pity the poor fellow who falls for you. Because he's going to have a hard time of it."

Holly kicked him hard under the table. Artemis grunted in pain, but his eyes were glittering. "I'm perfectly capable of handling relationships thank you very much." Holly was insulted, but content to have her old friend back. She had missed this banter between herself and Artemis. She stood up, gave Artemis a playful scowl, and walked away. Artemis was left to come to the sudden realisation. He was that poor fellow. He had fallen.

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**:) i love you all. r&r si vous plait?**

**x**


	9. Sand and snakes

**hey guys, yes i'm back finally. Sorry I took so long to update. I get too distracted with other fics, but here's a nice long chapter to keep you satisfied. Don't forget to press the little blue 'go' button at the bottom of the page to leave a lovely little review to tell me what you think:)**

**Disclaimer: Don't sue me, I own nothing!**

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"Well? Fowl we need an answer and we need it now." Root's tone was demanding. Artemis sighed deeply, without looking up from his scribblings. Holly walked over, snatching a sheet of paper from the chaotic desk.

"Frond! I can't read any of this! You really need to work on your handwriting Fowl."

"Yes, well, I think I'm a little beyond cursive lessons don't you?" Artemis snapped, snatching back the sheet.

"Will you two stop arguing for two minutes? This is a serious matter!" Bellowed Root. Artemis glared at Holly.

"Well commander, I have come up with a plan. It isn't foolproof, and by no means safe, but it's all we've got." Artemis looked apologetically around before continuing. "Right; Commander, you and Mulch are to go and find Mr Falkner. I suggest using the mesmor on him to find out whom he is working for. That way we can find out if there is a bigger force at work here. Holly, you and I are going to find a way to sabotage all three excavation sites. I assume that you, Foaly, have adequate technology that will suit that task?"

"Right you are Fowl. I'm sure I can find something." Foaly grinned at the thought of a chance to show off.

Artemis turned to his manservant. "Butler, as tiresome as this sounds I need you here with Foaly. You will monitor everything. If anything happens, it will be down to you to fix it."

"What exactly are you expecting to find Fowl? I don't think all that scribbling was for this one plan. A child could have thought up what you just did." Holly laughed at her own private joke. Artemis rolled his eyes.

"No, Captain Short, I did not do all that 'scribbling' just for what I just told you. But I have a feeling there is something… no… someone behind all of this and whoever they are, they have bigger plans than just oil extraction. What I have just outlined to you is the first steps of a masterplan… one so cunning that it covers for almost any situation."

"And are you planning on telling us this masterplan?" Holly asked sarcastically.

"No." Replied Artemis simply.

"Thought not. Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

Holly and Artemis lay behind a sand dune, surveying the scene in front of them. Artemis had been kitted out in full LEP gear and Holly was quietly laughing to herself at the sight of the mudboy in an ever-so-slightly-too-small jumpsuit and helmet.

"Well Fowl, what's the plan?" Holly peered through her helmet visor, magnifying her vision by five.

"We wait." Replied Artemis simply. Holly flipped up her visor to stare at the boy incredulously.

"Wait?" She snapped, "Do you really think we have enough time to be waiting around?"

"No. I don't. But there is absolutely no use in attempting any sort of advance in daylight. We must wait till nightfall. We will then have precisely four hours of darkness, in which we will have to visit all three excavation-sites and break down the machinery. Since we must allow forty-five minutes travelling time each way, it does not leave us with much time to actually sabotage the machines. We are on a tight schedule Captain Short so I suggest you make use of the free time you have now."

Holly lapsed into a sulky silence. Artemis smirked, settling himself into a more comfortable position behind the sandy dune. Holly folded her arms across her chest, staring ahead into the distance. Finally she decided to break the silence.

"So are we just going to sit here for the next hour, or however long it'll take for that sun to set?"

"Yes." Replied Artemis simply.

"Right." Holly started to stand up when suddenly she felt a hand grab her wrist and pull her back onto the soft sand. She looked over at the owner of the hand and scowled.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing Holly?" Artemis looked irritated.

"Well, I'm not going to sit around doing nothing. I'm going to do a recon of the area, shield and find out how to stop the machine." Holly's scowl became even more pronounced as Artemis sighed in annoyance, as if she had asked a particularly stupid question. "What?"

"Captain Short do you really think that I have let that part of the plan slip past me? That I wouldn't of found a way to stop the drills _even though _we have very little time to sabotage them? Do you really think that little of me?"

"No. But…"

"But nothing. Everything is under control, so why don't you sit back down and give me the pleasure of your company for the next hour?" Holly held back a strong desire to hit the sarcastic, impertinent boy. Sitting back down, she traced shapes in the sand with her finger.

"So Fowl. What do you want to talk about?"

Artemis thought for a moment. He had never been in this position before. He had known Holly a long time, but had never had the chance to just… talk. He never really made 'small-talk'. Artemis Fowl thought it pointless. _"There's always a more productive way of managing your time than talking about such trite and trivial matters."_ he had said to the first person who had ever attempted a conversation about… Artemis couldn't even remember what the subject of the 'conversation' had been.

Nevertheless, there was nothing more productive they could be doing, and Artemis felt strange. He found that he actually had 'friends' for once in his life. And Holly would probably be his closest friend of all. Yet, weren't friends meant to talk, and laugh and joke? Weren't they meant to spend time together because they wanted to, and not just because the situation called for it? If Artemis was brutally honest, that was not how he could describe his relationship with Holly at all, and yet he felt closer to the elf than any other being alive, with the exception of Butler, naturally.

"Have I missed much? While I was away?"

"Away?" Holly was puzzled "You haven't been anywhere."

"Not literally Holly. But I have been away, away 'in mind' if you like. Without my memories, I wasn't really conscious; I wasn't truly myself."

"I suppose." Holly carried on with her sand pictures. "Well in that case, no, you haven't missed all that much. You weren't really gone all that long. A few months really." She laughed, "That proves how much the people need you."

Artemis joined the laughter. "Quite." He looked over at the sand picture Holly had created. A mixture of incomprehensible swirls and patterns. "What's that?" He asked, innocently.

"Noting." Holly immediately rubbed her hands over the picture, scattering the sand granules. Artemis looked up into her face. "What?" There was something about the piercing blue stare that made Holly uncomfortable. She knew there was physically nothing he could do to her, he had no magic of his own, but for some unfathomable reason, she felt that she couldn't lie to those eyes.

"Holly, if this whole affair hadn't of happened, would I have ever got my memories back?"

Holly found she couldn't break his stare, but she couldn't lie either. Caught in a stalemate, she just looked at him helplessly. Artemis nodded slowly. "I understand."

"Fowl, it's not like that, I never wanted the mind-wipe in the first place, you know that. If I'd of had the power to reverse the mind-wipe I would have. Besides," She added, "If this hadn't of happened, something else would of. Face it Artemis, we need you."

_I need you._ She silently thought, though didn't voice it.

Artemis smiled and looked away. "That's true. I am rather indispensable."

Holly laughed. "You haven't changed a bit Fowl."

"On the contrary Holly, I have." He caught her gaze again locking his sapphire eyes with her hazel ones. Holly became uncomfortably aware of how close they were sitting. When he had pulled her down onto the sand after her attempt to get up, he had subconsciously pulled her towards him. She had never moved away. Holly finally broke the gaze with a crafty grin.

"Its dark Artemis, in case you haven't noticed." Artemis looked around him. It was indeed nightfall. Time had managed to slip away from him once again, and this time, he had all his memories.

"Well then." He stood up slowly. "I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, invisible. So we shall have to remain in the shadows. Remember, we don't have much time. We need to get to the machine quickly, and unseen…"

"I thought that was the point of going at night." Interrupted Holly sarcastically.

"Nevertheless, there will, undoubtedly, be a guard or two on patrol…" Artemis sighed as he was interrupted again.

"In the middle of the desert? Why on earth would they put mudmen guards on duty? What could they possibly be 'on guard' from?"

"Us." Answered Artemis, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Now hurry. I need you to shield and go ahead of me, check the coast is clear."

Holly nodded sharply. They were on duty now, and nothing stopped Holly being a professional when there was a job needed doing. Shielding and charging up her wings, she flew ahead of the boy, signalling for him to follow every fifty metres with a small flash of a torch.

Artemis followed warily. He didn't like stealth missions. It had been a long time since he had done anything of this nature, and it was far more Butler's area of profession. Nevertheless, he carried on with the plan. He had to. He was the one who had come up with it.

"Fowl?" a voice buzzed in his ear. Artemis spoke into his helmet mic, softly.

"I'm right behind you."

"There's two sentries on guard: one patrolling around Falkner's office, the other circling the machine. Frond, these mudmen are so paranoid!"

Artemis chuckled at Holly's astounded tone. "Holly, I need you to create a distraction. Nothing big. I need three minutes alone with the machine. Five minutes tops."

"I'll give you four Fowl, and that's because I'm generous. I sure hope you know what you're doing!" Artemis noticed the heat haze he had been staring at disappear suddenly. He shivered, waiting behind a cubical of port-a-loos. Holly had better be quick, they didn't have long at all. Shutting down the machine was the easy bit; it was this that was the vital part.

"Right Fowl, I'm going in, when you see the snake, that's your signal. You'll have four minutes from then." Holly murmured into her helmet mic._ Snake?_ Artemis stared at the sentry for several seconds before realising there was a dark coloured snake spiralling up his left boot. Within the next half a second, the man was speeding away towards the nearest building, shaking his leg around wildly, as if it was on fire. Artemis thanked the Gods the guard hadn't made a noise. Holly must of guessed that he wouldn't risk waking the boss up from his office, three buildings away.

This was it. Four minutes. Holly's words still echoed in his ears. Racing towards the abandoned machine, Artemis whipped out a small device. The boy fell to his knees at the base of the great drill. It really was a fantastic piece of machinery. The enormous drill, reaching far down into the depths of the earth slotted into a body of metal that seemed to allow the drill to reach uncanny depths. Artemis reached under the main body on the machine, grasping for a handhold.

There.

Feeling a small metal hook, he slid onto his back and wormed his way under the machine. _It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic_thought the boy. He could barely reach his hand up to his helmet to switch on the tiny LED torch. Suddenly the underbelly of the machine was illuminated. Artemis looked around wildly for the fuse box. If his estimations were correct, there should be a small fuse box situated under here somewhere. Pulling out a couple of fuses wouldn't have any affect, but the small device concealed in the palm of his hand…

Holly surveyed the scene, brow furrowed with concern. Less than two minutes. She couldn't hold the guard off for long. The mesmerised snake had been instructed not to leave the man's leg under any circumstances, and it was only a matter of time until the guard realised the snake was incapable of biting and manually detached it from his leg.

_Come on Artemis! Hurry up!_ Holly shouted in her own head, as though it would do any use. The man began hitting his own leg with the butt of his gun. Holly could see what was going to happen before it even did. Screaming into her mic, "Artemis, get out! Get out NOW!" she flew towards the guard. Too late. The stupid sod had managed to shoot himself. The resounding gunshot echoed around the camp, cutting through the deathly silence that had absorbed the place before. Immediately, the man began screaming, a red stream of blood emitting from a wound below his shoulder. Holly, shielded, landed next to the man, placing her hands on the open gash. _Heal_ she thought, and the magic scurried down her fingers.

Artemis didn't need telling twice. Holly's shouts in his headphones had nearly burst his eardrums. Ripping open the fuse box, he grabbed three yellow wires, cutting and shoving them into three little open holes in his contraption. Hiding the little black machine amongst the millions of other little wires, he quickly replaced the sheet of metal that had covered the fuse box previously. He peered out from under the machine, watching as a pair of black-booted feet ran past, shouting. It was now of never. He would have to make a run for it. Pushing himself out from under the drill, he ran through the camp as lights switched on in cabins and voices began shouting. Artemis dropped behind one of the shacks and muttered into his mic "Holly, what's going on? I heard a shot? What's happened?"

"Fowl, get out. Now." Holly's voice sounded weak and tired. "I'm right behind you, just get yourself behind that dune before the who place wakes up." Artemis, worried for his friend, obeyed; charging past the cabins, back into the desert. He sat, breathing heavily, behind their dune and whispered "Holly where are you?"

Holly was having trouble retaining her shield. The magic was leaving her body via her fingers and she was slowly losing the power to stay hidden. The man had stopped screaming and was now staring at the place where Holly should have been invisible. The blood pounded in the elf's ears. Could he see her? She heard footsteps coming from round the corner. She'd done all she could; mended the punctured lung at least. The man would live. Charging up her wings she shot as high as she could into the sky, choosing to use the clouds as cover.

Looking at the gathering crowd of people below, she caught shouts from the injured man: "An angel! God sent an angel!" followed by the nervous laughter and yells from various other workers and officials. Holly headed back towards the empty desert, diving low to land in a forward roll behind their original sand dune. Artemis immediately ran to her side.

"Holly! What happened? Are you ok? Why aren't you shielded? I heard a shot! Were you shot?"

"Shut it Artemis, I'm fine! Keep your voice down!" Holly glared at the concerned boy. "D'arvit, that went wrong, that went so wrong…"

Artemis sat for a moment, allowing the elf to regain her breath. "Holly," he murmured. "We need to go now, we haven't got long left." Holly looked at the boy.

"Do we still have time?"

"If we hurry." It'll take us a while to get to the next point, we don't have long."

"I didn't know he was armed." Holly muttered angrily "Stupid! I should have checked." She looked at the boy with apologetic eyes. "Artemis, I'm out of magic."

* * *


	10. The Mysterious Ms Cheung

**helloooo :) **

**Again, I'm sorry! Long time no update I know, but summer is here! yay! And I hope that I'll be able to spend a lot more time writing :) I promise that I'll try to upload this (and my other fics) quicker!**

**Thank you to everybody who has stuck with it. I owe you all my undying love :)**

_**Quick Disclaimer: **_**Eoin Colfer owns all this, not me. In fact, I await the new book... out later this year! woop!**

* * *

"Artemis, I'm out of magic."

Artemis looked into the elf's hazel eyes and nodded. "It's fine, just get me to the next camp. I'll work on a plan on the way. Don't worry Holly, I can work this out."

The boy's brain was already buzzing as Holly strapped him onto her moon belt. Truth be told, things had gone almost as badly as they possibly could. Once awoken, the previous camp would probably alert the other two sites to be open for intruders. What if they tried to start up the drills? What would happen then? Once Falkner realised his machine wasn't working he would know something was up. Then it was only a matter of who reached the other camps first, Holly and Artemis, or a phone call from Falkner.

"Got a plan Fowl?" Muttered Holly to the boy as they sped above the desert.

"Of sorts." Replied Artemis. "Is there any chance we could go any faster? Time is of the essence!"

"Easier said than done Fowl." Grumbled Holly "Our weight combined is too heavy for the wings to fly faster than 80. We've already hit top speed. I can't go any faster."

Artemis grunted in frustration. "We're not going to make it at this rate. If Falkner tries to start up his drill and finds it not working, he'll waste no time phoning the other camps."

"Don't worry. Commander Root and Mulch should have Falkner mesmerised by now."

"But they're going to have to disappear if someone goes into his office to alert him."

"But why would he start the drill at this time in the morning anyway?" Holly was puzzled.

"He wouldn't normally. But all this talk of magical healing angels might trigger something. Healing angels might not exist but fairies do, and fairies are exactly what he is drilling for."

Holly was silent for a moment, brow furrowed in worry. "This is all my fault." she said finally, "If I had managed to keep my shield…"

"It's not your fault Holly. You did what you had to do. You couldn't leave that man to die. No one could have predicted this." Artemis interrupted, "You can't blame yourself. But we can't waste any more time, and at this speed, we'll never reach both other camps in…" he checked his watch, "Two and a half hours."

"Well what do you suggest then, because I don't see a way we can do this."

"Holly." Artemis spoke slowly and deliberately. "You're going to have to drop me…"

"No way." Holly was quick to answer, "No can do Fowl, I'm not leaving you stranded in the middle of a desert."

"It's the only way to make it in time! All you have to do is crawl underneath the machine, locate the fuse box and fix three little yellow wires into the holes in the little black box I'll give you."

"What will you do? Stuck out in the middle of the desert, how am I going to find you again afterwards? This place is pretty big, in case you hadn't noticed."

"If you can think of a better plan, I'd like to hear it." Snapped Artemis. "Now take these boxes, drop me and leave. Send my co-ordinates to Foaly and he can store them so you know where to pick me up. I won't move from this spot Holly. I promise."

"I don't like leaving you behind Artemis."

"And I don't like being left behind, but we don't have a choice any more."

Holly nodded once, her facial expression unreadable.

"Alright Fowl. Hold on tight." She dived suddenly, descending towards the sandy dunes of the Desert. Landing with a soft _thud,_ she unclipped Artemis from her moon belt.

"Right." Artemis held out two small black boxes, no bigger than matchboxes. "Take these. You know what to do with them, yes?"

"Put the three yellow wires into the three holes." Holly squinted at the tiny holes in the side of one of the boxes. "Frond, you couldn't make them any bigger?"

"They're pocket sized Holly! Portable!"

"Right, of course." Holly rolled her eyes. "Bloody genius." She looked at Artemis suddenly, her eyes shielded by the visor of her helmet. "Are you sure you're going to be okay here Artemis?"

The boy blinked. There was genuine concern in that voice, even if he couldn't see her eyes, he didn't need to be a genius to figure out she was worried.

"Because you don't have to do this. Be left alone in a desert I mean. We can fly back to the ship now, think up another plan." Holly tried her hardest to sound sincere, but she knew full well what Artemis was about to say.

"Don't be preposterous Holly. You know that this is the only chance we have to shut down the machines. If this isn't done tonight, the rest of the plan won't work. And even then… any information Julius and Mulch have uncovered may change things completely. We need the time that this sabotage can buy us."

Holly said nothing, but nodded slowly. Suddenly she punched the mudboy on the shoulder. "Don't you go anywhere Fowl." She tried to make her tone sound playful. "You better be here when I get back."

Artemis smiled. "Don't worry Holly. I'll stay put, wait for Foaly to pick me up."

"Stay safe Artemis." Holly spoke softly this time. Extending a hand she gripped his own tightly, for only a second, before dropping it and powering up her wings. Without the weight of the human boy, the wings flew a lot smoother and Holly felt strangely liberated as she slipped through the air at twice their previous speed. As Artemis watched her form turn into a dot on the horizon he smiled to himself.

"I will Holly. For you, I will."

* * *

"Seriously Dwarf, you expect me to follow you through your freshly dug tunnel?" Root glared at the reprobate in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."

"It's Artemis' plan, not mine." Chuckled Mulch. "So unless you've got a plan better than the one the _genius_ boy thought of…"

Root growled begrudgingly. "Fine. Just be quick. I don't want to be underground any longer than I have to."

Mulch gave the commander a mock salute before pressing some buttons on his wristwatch. "Wrist-sat-nav." He explained. "Foaly's latest. Pretty 'handy' eh?" Root groaned as he followed the chuckling dwarf "Get it? 'handy'… a wristwatch… handy… like digging with your hands… ha… OWCH"

Root finally hit him hard over the head. "You've no idea how long I've wanted to do that Diggums." Mulch looked at the commander reproachfully before unhinging his jaw, and set about biting earth.

Five minutes later both Root and Mulch were situated right underneath Falkner's quarters; Root grumbling and scraping dirt off his face, Mulch re-hinging his jaw and checking the ceiling of the tunnel for the best way to get into the room. Falkner's office was adjoined to his sleeping quarters through a small doorway. Mulch didn't want to go into the wrong room by accident.

"Can't you do that any faster?" barked Root angrily. "We have a tiny window of time here Diggums, I don't want this mission failing because of some criminal!"

"When have I ever let you down, Julius?" Grinned the Dwarf.

"DON'T CALL ME JU…" Commander Root's screaming was silenced quickly by a sudden creak. Mulch had managed to loosen the floorboards into Falkner's Room.

"We're in." The dwarf whispered into his mike. Foaly's voice crackled on the other end.

"Nice work you two. Now, I'm turning on your helmet cam now; anything from now on will be recorded so Julius, you might want to keep your tantrums to yourself."

Root turned a violent shade of magenta as Mulch chuckled to himself, crawling up through the floorboards. The room was dark but both the fairies' helmets thankfully had night-vision lenses. -_Handy. I might have to get myself one of these for my 'little jobs'- _thought Mulch to himself. Julius seemed to read his mind. "Don't even think of stealing the helmet Diggums. We could incinerate your head before you'd got 100 metres away from Haven." Mulch laughed nervously, knowing full well the commander wasn't kidding.

Over in the far corner of the room, Falkner was snoring heavily. Mulch took a chair from the desk in the opposite corner, placing it strategically in the middle of the room. Root, meanwhile, set about waking the snoring man. Roughly shaking Falkner's shoulders, the commander made sure he was staring into the mudman's eyes, so that when he awoke, he could mesmerise him without a problem.

Falkner's eyes flickered open blearily, accompanied by a loud groan.

"Morning Mudman." Julius's smile was satanic. Staring right into Falkners' pupils he began to speak very low and quietly under his breath. "Human, your will is mine." Falkner's eyes suddenly lost focus altogether, staring into nothing. Root stood up. "Right, Mulch. Job's done over here. Is the chair ready?"

"if it doesn't collapse under his weight." Mulch raised an eyebrow at the, admittedly round, human. Julius rolled his eyes as he pulled back the covers of the bed. Mulch groaned in disgust. "Eurghhhh. He's not even wearing trousers. No one wants to see THAT. He's so hairy!"

Even Root managed to laugh at this. "You're not painting yourself, convict!" He turned to the 'scantily dressed' man, his voice layered with the mesmer, "Go sit on that chair,"

The mudman obliged, dragging his enormous weight into the chair, where Mulch promptly tied him up with the ropes Foaly had provided them with earlier.

The centaur himself suddenly piped up over the fairies' headsets. "Right, Mulch, go into his office and turn on his computer, I want to have a look at these emails. Julius, I think it's time to ask a few questions."

Root, on the verge of barking at Foaly for the inappropriate use of his first name (yet again), obliged, pulling another chair to sit facing the mudman. Mulch, meanwhile, opened the door to the office and cautiously switched on the computer.

"Right, Falkner, tell me a bit about yourself." Mulch could hear Root from the next room.

"My name is Philonius Falkner. I am forty three years old. I have a villa…"

"Yeah, ok mudman. Not quite what I meant." Mulch laughed at Roots exasperated tone. "Why are you here?"

"I'm excavating."

"Excavating what?"

"A new power source."

"Which is…?"

"Top secret."

"Tell me."

"I can't."

"D'arvit." Root swore, turning his familiar shade of scarlet. He pushed harder with the mesmer, adding an extra layer to his voice. "Tell me mudman."

"I have been sworn to secrecy."

"By who?"

"A Co-worker."

"Who is he?"

"She."

"What?" Root barked a little too loudly, losing the mesmering sound to his voice.

Falkner blinked as Root hastily pushed with the mesmor even more, sparks flying from under his eyelids. "Who is she?"

"A co-worker."

"What's her NAME for frond's sake?"

"She told me not to tell anyone."

"Foaly this isn't going anywhere." Root grumbled into his mike.

"Just wait a minute Julius. I'm checking the emails… Mulch scroll down."

Mulch obliged, acting as Foaly's eyes. He scrolled and clicked as directed, opening email after email. All much the same as each other, Foaly clicked his tongue in frustration. "Dr Pringle, Dr Jaspard… Ms Cheung, Ms Cheung… Who is this Ms Cheung?"

"Maybe…" Mulch piped in holding up a photo of Falkner and a small Chinese woman, before he was interrupted by Root's barking from the other room.

"Listen you two, we don't have much time, and I'm not getting anything out of this man!"

Foaly sighed, switching his attention onto the commander's helmet-cam. "Zoom me in on his eyes Julius."

Julius obliged, eyes widening as he saw the pupils of Mr Falkner. "Holy Frond." He breathed in unison with the centaur.

Alarm bells, went off in Julius' head. Falkner's pupils were more jagged than any other creature he'd ever seen, mudman or fairy. He was surprised the man wasn't blind.

He'd been mesmerised before.

His co-worker was a woman.

The two facts zoomed round and round the commander's head. He'd been mesmerised before, his co-worker was a woman. He'd been mesmerised, his co-worker… mesmerised… woman…

"Errrr Julius." Mulch shuffled into the room uncertainly, holding the photo in his hand. "You might want to have a look at this."

Julius took the photo with barely steady hands, staring at the two figures, his eyes widened. The man on the left, a fat mudman holding a certificate proudly; on the right, a small… unnaturally small… Chinese woman. Julius peered closer, zooming in his camera on the female's face. He could almost hear the cogs whirring in Foaly's brain. That woman… she was so familiar. Those eyes. He zoomed in further, the penny dropping with an ear-deafening clang.

He'd been mesmerised before.

His co-worker was a woman.

He recognised those cold, smirking eyes.

"Foaly…" He breathed quietly, looking up at Mulch's knowing gaze.

Suddenly a gunshot went off followed by loud screams. "D'arvit Foaly what was that?" Root shouted, above the growing noise from outside.

"I have no idea, but you need to get out of there, FAST!"

Root didn't need telling twice. Untying the mudman and shoving him back into his bed he shouted at Mulch to put everything back the way it was. Chaos was unfolding outside as the shouts grew louder. Root prayed Holly and Artemis were alright and this didn't have anything to do with them.

Suddenly there was a banging on the door.

"D'arvit. MULCH GET DOWN THAT HOLE NOW!" Root charged up his shield, running in the direction of the opened floorboards.

Mulch quickly pulled the floorboards back into place as three workmen came charging into the bedroom.

"Faulkner, sir, sorry to wake you sir, but… Tony's been shot. And he's claiming that he's seen an angel sir."

Mulch and Root didn't stay to hear any more, too busy sprinting back down the tunnel towards the desert with three words running through their minds.

Three words spinning round and round and round.

Three words that meant a really, REALLY big problem.

She. Was. Back.

* * *

**Dun, dun, DUN!! cliffhanger! Although I think it's pretty obvious who '_she' _is. A special mention, next chapter will go to whoever can guess _'Ms Cheung's'_ real name in their review. And please do review! It really makes my day!!**

**hugs - Rose xxx**


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